Page 210 – We Have To Plan Revenge

Merrrrrry Christmas, y’all! I wish I had more of a “very special Christmassy episode” to share with you today, but today’s page is all about the plan.

I thought I’d talk a little, today, about the art process. Unless you like art-talk, the following chunk of text will be terribly boring to you so skip to the end for your Kids’ Quotes and you’re free to leave. For everyone else, let’s go.

I work entirely digitally these days- everything from sketch to finished happens in the computer. I understand Ethan works the same way. The difference between us is that now and then, I think he still likes to draw on paper in the real world. Me, I couldn’t be happier to be done with paper, art supplies and scanning. I don’t have to go to the art store anymore at all, now, and I love it. It’s kinda like when you discovered Netflix and began dancing merrily on the grave of Blockbuster Video.

I’ve tried going wholly digital in the past with Painter and Photoshop. Painter had a completely baffling interface that I couldn’t figure out and Photoshop’s brushes were nnnnot good for inking. I felt trapped in the world of drawing on paper. Then- and here’s where what I’m saying is going to start sounding like a paid endorsement- I tried Manga Studio in March of last year. A colleague had used it and recommended it, and it was only $80. I gave it a try and was impressed- it did almost everything Photoshop did (at least for art production), the interface mimics Photoshop so it was easy to pick up how things worked, and the inking handled like a dream.

Ethan uses it too, but he’s much less… I dunno… evangelical about it. I use it for almost everything and I sing its praises all the time. These days I only open Illustrator and Photoshop to do lettering and photo manipulation, respectively. I’m churning out pages in a quarter of the time and at twice the quality, and I do it going from sketch straight to inks. I never fully pencil anything out anymore. I’ve pioneered a technique- or at least I think I came up with it- that maximizes speed and efficiency in digital inking. It involves using two layers. If anyone’s interested in the full inking process, sound off in the comments and I’ll detail it fully.

Here’s a video I made doing the art for my pin-up in the new Axe Cop print volume.

KIDS’ QUOTES OF THE WEEK

We’re playing superheroes one day.Me: “I’m Superman. I can fly and I’m strong. What can you do?”Charlotte: “I”m Spider-Man. I can play on my ropes, jump,
stick, and make everybody pay attention to me.” -Charlotte, 2 years old

On the phone with mommy, who’s at work:“When you come home, can I have you?” -Amelia, 2 years old

If you’re looking for a nice present to get me, I could really use one of these. Don’t look at the price, just get it for me… we’ll both be happier that way. Merry Christmas everyone.

say tom, how long does it usually take for the Nicole Brothers to respond to an Ask AxeCop question? my Ask AxeCop question was about Video Game Consoles turning 10 years old, and things like why game makers put down 10 year old game consoles for new ones, because turning down a game console is like putting a 10 year old dog out of its own misery with a shotgun, y’know what I’m talkin’ about? cause Kingdom Hearts 3 is coming out on a PS4 and an XboxOne console instead of either an Xbox360 or a PS3 console ( I’m a PlayStation fan, by the way), so how long did it take for them to respond to your guest episode to be made?

Charlotte and Amelia just watched your speed video. Comments included “I bet he puts a shadow on that axe” and “Uncle Tommy is the best artist.” Amelia would like me to tell you “THAT IS AWESOME!” and Charlotte says “IT WAS SO COOL!” We want to know how long in real time this took.

Characters In This Episode

A hero left behind when the King of All Bad Guys kidnapped all the good guys. Army Chihuahua used to be a soldier who helped win the war against Chicken Head. However, he had left his pet chihuahua at home unfed, so when he returned from the war it bit him in anger. This gave him the ability to transform into a chihuahua when he's ready to fight, which is pretty much all the time.
Powers: Transforming into a Chihuahua when he's ready to fight

Axe Cop was born Axey Smartist in 2004 to his parents Bobber and Gobber Smartist. After his parents ate candy canes that were poisoned by Telescope Gun Cop he swore on their grave he would become a cop. At some point he decided an axe was a better weapon than a gun, and it turns out he was right. Axe Cop now regularly has try outs for various warriors and super heroes to join him as he fights evil. He only has two known weaknesses: Being surprised (which causes him to melt), and Cherry Rainbow candy canes.
Powers: axe chop, Axe Cop with lemon, lemon grenades, retractable danger-sensing antennae, psychic attacks, poison food production, mustache has robot hands and secret weapons, super high jumps, hypnotize button in wrist